Friday Five is officially 50! But don't worry, no mid-life crisis here. Instead, we've got our usual collection of Oscar-worthy films, animation, good tunes, and sports content. So enjoy -- and here's to fifty more!
Red Rocket
Surprise, surprise – we’re kicking off this week with yet another Oscar-worthy new release. Sean Baker, who has quickly become one of the most interesting filmmakers in Hollywood, delivers his latest film Red Rocket this weekend, and we are very excited. After getting pushed back one more week, the movie is coming out in an incredibly crowded release weekend, but it still has a ton of buzz around it. Like The Florida Project, it appears to be a touching film with a bit of an edge, and a great original story. Based on the trailer, we already love the color palette, and it is very pretty to look at. We are excited to see it in theaters based on that alone, so we can get the full effect of the stunning visuals. And we can’t forget an apparently incredible breakout (if you can call it that) performance from Simon Rex. Red Rocket has gotten rave reviews on the festival circuit so far, and looks like it should add to the great movie run of the late fall/end of 2021.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Part One)
The teaser for the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse trailer just dropped, and for once, we are actually excited about getting more of something. The animation style of the first feature was so cool and original, and it looks like the filmmakers are dipping even further into their creative bag for Across the Spider-Verse. There are new character and background styles, and the sequel appears to dip even more into comic book elements. The teaser (at least for us) came out of nowhere, and it was an exciting addition to the week. Especially compared to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the storytelling of the original film was really fun and inventive, which is nice given the oversaturation of superhero movies. We can’t wait to see what new moves and techniques are used in the sequels – this teaser was just for Part One of Across the Spider-Verse.
Caterina Caselli - Sono Bugiarda (I’m A Believer)
Most of the new music being released these days has shifted to Christmas albums, so we’ve had to dig back through the archives to freshen up our rotation. And this week, we got to add a surprising twist on a classic into the mix. Caterina Caselli’s Italian cover of “I’m a Believer,” titled “Sono Bugiarda” was the highlight of the House of Gucci soundtrack, and we’ve had it on repeat since seeing the movie. It’s an incredibly catchy cover of The Monkees’ hit song, and is probably the second best “I’m a Believer” cover in film history (after Smash Mouth in Shrek, of course). While we definitely don’t know Italian, we do like to pretend by singing along to the few lyrics we do know. Between the familiar, ear-wormy backing melody and the fun, exotic vocals, we expect “Sono Bugiarda” might work its way into our Spotify Wrapped in 2022.
Tom Brady: Man in the Arena
The New England Patriots were notoriously tight-lipped during the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era, but now that Brady is in Tampa Bay, the GOAT finally has gotten a docuseries worthy of our attention. ESPN got unparalleled access to Brady and his former teammates in order to take an inside look at each of his 10 Super Bowl seasons. Only Tom Brady could have a 10-episode docuseries covering each of his championship runs, and while the rest of the country might be rolling their eyes, fans in New England and Tampa must be incredibly excited. The first few episodes have already aired, and as Patriots fans ourselves, it has been remarkable to go back and relive the first few years of Brady’s dominance. It’s especially fun to hear from players that were notoriously quiet with the media during their playing days - it’s like an oral history of each season. We also have loved seeing how fiery of a competitor, and how starved for greatness, Brady has been since his very first snap in the NFL. It is inspirational, and truly wild to look back as we get to the twilight of Brady’s career.
Trevor Zegras - Sonny Milano Goal
The NHL has notoriously had a hard time getting attention on social media, but this week a couple of Ducks players blew up the internet. Rookie Trevor Zegras attempted an incredibly bold assist, and when he connected with teammate Sonny Milano, they had an instant Goal of the Year candidate that went truly viral. Zegras is notoriously inventive, and the 20-year-old’s ambition really paid off on the ice. It is huge for growing the game to get that kind of attention, and as hockey fans, we are happy to see so many people at least nominally paying attention. As creatives, we also love to see a highlight like this, because it shows a player willing to think outside the box in order to push his game to the limit. We’ll definitely have to keep an eye on Zegras going forward if that’s the type of creativity we can expect on a nightly basis!